Her Struggle
by yr9911
Summary: Jack is the new kid at Seaford High and he is instantly taken under the wings of Jerry Martinez and Sloane Jennings. He starts to enjoy his new life, but until he meets Kim Crawford, the high school basketcase with a secret that she's determined to keep to herself. With only 200 days left of school, can Jack uncover this struggling secret and help Kim?
1. Chapter 1

_**A/N: Hey reader! So I know I haven't written much fanfics in a while, but hear me out about this one I'm about to start. I was pondering about what kind of story I would want to write, and it hit me! I decided I wanted to write a love story, but not some cheesy and corny pathetic excuse piece of work, so I decided that I would write it out as a fanfic and see how my readers would react. Anywho, I hope you all enjoy it!**_

* * *

My mom always told me there were two kinds of people in the world. People who accepted that they were crazy and the ones who wouldn't dare, and someday, I would have to choose who I was. I never decided where I belonged, but I knew that someday I would figure it out. After her funeral, I would repeat those words in my head pondering which category she would fall in. She never told me. Then again, my mom would say this to a five year old clueless boy who knew nothing about the cruelty of this pathetic excuse of a life we live.

And here I am now, twelve years later, getting ready for a new "life" (as they call it when you move to a new school in a new town in a new state) that I honestly don't want to live at all.

I moved here to Seaford about a week after my mom's funeral. My dad was the only other person who was willing to take me in. Everyone else thought that I was going to be insane just like her, but to be honest I'm not. I'm perfectly normal. Dad and I never really had the "father-and-son" relationship that most guys have with their dad. We have a "I won't bug you if you don't bug me" kind of relationship, but I'm honestly fine with that.

* * *

As we drive up to the front of the school, I calculate how many days I have left in the hell I live in. 200 more days. I quickly get out of the car after giving my dad a quiet goodbye, and make my way through the courtyard.

"Hey newbie!" a voice calls. I'm not sure if the voice was meant for me, but considering Seaford High is insanely tiny, it must be me. I turn to see a tall Latino kid walking my way with a huge smile plastered on his face. Walking with him is a small and lean girl with long and wavy light brown hair. She catches my eye instantly.

The Latino kid drapes his arm around my shoulder and continues with his goofy smile. "The names Jerry," he introduces and gestures to himself. "And this is Sloane," he points to the little brunette. Sloane extends her hand out to me. I take it and shake.

"And you are?" she asks with a smile. Her smile is different from Jerry's. It doesn't seem as forced. It seems natural as her warm brown eyes light up.

"Jack," Is the only word I'm able to speak. I'm lost in her eyes. She obviously can read my expression and lets out a laugh that sounds almost like delicate bells. It's music to my ears.

The rest of the day, Sloane and Jerry help me get to my classes and introduce me to new people. When lunch comes around, I'm lost. I make my way through the lunch line and look around for an empty seat which I do eventually, but this table is a little strange. The round table is completely empty except for one person sitting by herself with her head bent.

Her honey blonde hair cascades down like a waterfall. I can't see her face at all. I'm about to walk over and set my tray down next to her, but I feel a hand grip my shoulder. "You don't want to sit there, man," Jerry says with caution in his eyes. I look past him to see Sloane and her friends watching us. By the looks on their faces, I know that I should stray away from the blonde. I nod and walk to Jerry and Sloane's table.

"So what's her story?" I nod over to the small blonde. Sloane instantly looks down at her tray and nudge Jerry with her elbow. He sighs and and leans forward so I'm the only one who can hear.

"Her name's Kim Crawford," he explains "Her family's been in Seaford for a while now, but she's the only Crawford that the town has ever seen. She doesn't like to be noticed and people say she's a little- you know," he makes circles with his finger next to head to indicate that she is crazy. I glance back at Kim. She reads an overly-large book as she take small bites of her hamburger. Her eyes flicker up to meet mine for a split second before retreating back to her book. A barely visible but small smile creeps up her face.

* * *

After school, I find myself sitting on the school bleachers with Sloane and Jerry watching the poor excuse of a football team practice. Sloane props herself up on her elbows and leans her head back towards the sky. Her eyes are closed as the cool Autumn breeze flows through her hair. I can't help but smile.

"Two hundred day left," she practically whispers. My ears perk up at this.

"What?" I question.

"Sloane's counting down the days until graduation," Jerry explains. "We have exactly two hundred days left." I guess I wasn't the only one counting down. Two hundred days. That feels so far away, but it isn't. 200 hundred days until I can leave for good.

I look around the field and take in the scene. Other than the football team flailing around for the ball, it's almost peaceful. Sloane sits up and checks her watch on her tiny wrist.

"Gotta bounce!" she says and stands up. After grabbing her bag, she stands up and hops down the bleachers. I watch her every move. Even with the loud bangs of her feet hitting the cold metal, she still looks graceful.

Jerry stretches his arms back and takes in a breath of the Autumn air. "Do you need a ride?" he asks as he turns to me. At first, I don't understand what he's talking about. "A ride home, man." he laughs causing me to laugh with him. We walk out of the stadium into the parking lot towards his car.

When we get to my dad's house, (I still don't consider it home) I give Jerry a quick wave and step out. He speeds off and I can't help but laugh. It's amazing how fast he drives, but he's never been in an accident. As I turn on my heel to the front steps, I notice a figure walking down the sidewalk. It's a girl. A girl with long, messy, blonde hair. It's Kim Crawford. She's tiny. Very tiny. I have almost a foot on her. Her head is bent and her back is hunched over from the books that are weighing her down.

A selfless instinct hits me, but I quickly shut it down and walk into the house.

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_**A/N: So there's chapter 1! It's not as good as it could be, but oh well! Please review!**_


	2. Chapter 2

_**A/N: Ah! So many reviews on only the first chapter! Yay! Well anyways, I decided to change the format of the story. Instead of doing present tense, I decided to write it in past tense. It just makes it a lot easier.  
Oh yeah. I also wanted to make a quick announcement. This fanfic has pretty much nothing to do with the actual show **_**Kickin' It_. It just has the same characters, characters, and personalities. Sorry for the misled information! Anyways, enjoy!_**

* * *

"Jack," a voice whispered. It was small and delicate. I chose to ignore it.

"Jack. Wake up man!" another voice called. This one was much louder. I chose to ignore it.

I felt the mattress shift a little bit as someone's face got closer to my ear. I heard her steady breaths. "Come on Jack," she cooed. "It's eleven on a Saturday. Time to get up." Right when she said those words, I heard the blinds open and I was awakened with a shot of sunlight. My eyes instantly opened and the first thing they saw are a pair of big innocent brown eyes. Sloane's eyes.

"How'd you get in here?" I grumbled as I rubbed my blinded eyes.

"Your dad let us in," Sloane answered with a smile. Of course he let them in. "Go get ready, we're going on a triple date around the town." Sloane laughed.

"A triple date?" I asked still in my groggy state.

"You know, a three-some," Jerry answered.

"Jerry!" Sloane yelled and slapped his arm as he bursted out laughing. I let out a chuckle.

Jerry and Sloane left my room so I could get ready. When I walked downstairs, Jerry was already sitting at the kitchen table, scarfing down a breakfast. I saw Sloane sitting next to him deep in a conversation with my dad about something I honestly didn't want to know about. I sat myself in between the two morning intruders.

After Sloane finished her conversation, she gave my dad a quick wave and dragged me out with her. Jerry followed close behind. Once we got outside, I dug my heels into the ground.

"You wanna tell me why you were talking to my dad?" I asked sternly. Sloane bit her bottom lip and stayed silent. Her eyes wondered past me. She shook whatever thoughts were in her head and got into Jerry's car.

"Come on guys," Sloane yelled through the window. "Are we going or not?" She laughed a little. Jerry laughed with her and got into the driver's seat. I shrugged off what happened in the past hour and got into the backseat.

* * *

First stop was some strip mall in the middle of town. It must have been the hotspot for all the teens. We walked through the mall and stopped in front of a restaurant called Falafel Phil's. We sat ourselves in a window booth at the back of the restaurant. "Why here?" I asked as we sat down. Sloane placed herself next to me, boxing me in between her and the wall while Jerry sat across from us. "We just had breakfast."

Jerry bursted out with his overly loud laugh. "This is sort of a tradition for us," Sloane explained with a smile. "We come here every Saturday."

"And now that you're our friend, we thought we might as well invite you into the tradition," Jerry added on. I couldn't help, but smile. These guys considered me their friend.

"But I've only known you for a day," I said a little confused. Sloane laughed.

"Sloane knows how to read people easily and she read you as a good person and friend," Jerry explained. Sloane nudged me in the rib with her elbow and smiled brightly. All I could think was that these guys wanted me as their friend.

After eating we headed outside and sat at a small table. Jerry kicked his feet up and looks around. "Yo! Rudy!" He yelled at someone. A middle-aged man turned and waved at Jerry. Rudy walked over to us and sat next to him.

"Hello Dr. Gillespie," Sloane greeted formally.

"Miss Jennings," Rudy greeted back. "How is she doing?" Jerry fell silent and looked over at Sloane._  
_

"She's fine," her voice trailed. Who's _she_? "Oh!" her voice instantly brightened. "This is Jack by the way. Jack-" her voice stopped. At that moment, I realized that neither Sloane nor Jerry knew my last name._  
_

"Brewer," I interrupted and shook Rudy's hand. "Jack Brewer" Rudy smiled brightly and I returned it.

"It's nice to meet you Jack. You can call me Rudy." I nodded and sat back as he and Jerry sparked up a conversation about some movie actor, Bobby Wasabi. I glanced over at Sloane who looked bored out of her mind, but she seemed to be contemplating about something. She must have known I was watching her because she immediately sat up and smiled at me. It wasn't her usual care-free and natural smile. It was forced. I chose to ignore it and returned her smile with an equally contrived one.

* * *

After a day of touring the town, Jerry dropped me off first. I thanked my two new friends for a great day and got out watching them speed off. As I turned towards the house, I felt a pair of eyes on me. I quickly turned to the house across the street and saw someone watching me from the top left window. Kim. She quickly looked away and read her overly-large book. The same one from lunch. I shook off whatever weird vibes I was getting and walked into the house.

The next day I got up to see neither Sloane nor Jerry. It was Sunday, so they were most likely at church. After dragging my lazy ass off the bed, I trudged downstairs to see what kind of concoction I could make for breakfast. I ended up making a cheese omelet.

"Dad?" I called out. No answer. He must have already gone to work. After I was done, I placed the dish in the sink and went upstairs to get ready for the day. It was a nice outside, so I thought I might as well go for a jog.

Once I got outside, I placed the ear buds in and was off. It was nice to run around the town and see its sights. When I was with Jerry and Sloane, they didn't seem to know a whole lot of the things I was interested in. I ran about five miles and when I got to my sixth, something caught my eye. The town library sat on the corner of two streets. It was tall and loomed over me.

But it wasn't the library that caught my eye. It was the person sitting the back window by herself. Kim.

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_**A/N: And... There's chapter 2! Hope you all enjoyed it! Don't forget to review! Mwah! Love y'all!**_


	3. Chapter 3

_**A/N: Ah! Sorry for the hiatus! I just had a lot of tests this week and my history grade hasn't been so good, so I spent most of my time studying instead of writing! Please forgive me!**_

* * *

I cautiously stepped into the tall building and was immediately hit with a waft of old books and stuffy rooms. It definitely was the library. "Can I help you, sir?" a voice too loud for a library asked. I turned to see a tall brunette woman with a goofy smile plastered on her face. Her name tag read _Joan Malone. _I shook my head.

"Nope, just here to look at some books," I replied casually. She nodded and headed for a desk. I turned to Kim, who was still sitting by the window. "Hey," I greeted as I slowly approached her. She looked up at me with a confused look. This was the first time I actually got a good look at her. She was pretty. Hell, she was gorgeous. More beautiful than Sloane. Kim's soft blonde hair was let down and it cascaded down her shoulders. Her big warm brown eyes captivated me.

"Can I help you?" She asked quietly. Her voice was monotone, but strangely soothing.

"I just wanted to introduce myself," I answered nonchalantly as I sat across from her. "I'm Jack, by the way. Jack Brewer." I held out my hand waiting for her to accept it. Kim just stared at it before answering.

"Kim Crawford," she eventually acknowledged my hand and we shook. "No offense, but why are you talking to me?"

"What? Can't the new kid at town make friends?" I let out a calm laugh. Kim didn't return it.

"Thought the new kid already had some friends," she answered with a smirk creeping up her beautiful face. I couldn't help but flush, causing her to laugh. "Am I making you nervous, Jack Brewer?"

I quickly shook my head and let out a laugh which seemed a little too forced. Kim looked at me with curiosity as if I was some foreign creature that had yet to be discovered. Before I could think, I opened my mouth and the words came pouring out.

"I'd like to get to know you, Kim," I blurted. She was obviously taken aback, but steadily a small smile crept up her face as she put her back down. Kim leaned forward agains the table between us.

"And what would you like to know about me?" She asked quietly. My mouth went dry._ What did I want to know about her?_ My eyes trailed down to her book. Her eyes followed mine. "My book?" She let out a laugh. "Well if you want to know, _Mein Kampf_ by Adolf Hitler." I couldn't help but laugh.

"Adolf Hitler? As in the leader of the Nazis?" I asked. Kim scoffed and held the book out towards me.

"Don't knock it until you try it. It's actually pretty interesting," she cautioned. Her brown eyes challenged mine. I tentatively reached for the book and held it. "Have fun with it," she challenged and walked out of the library.

* * *

The next day, Jerry as already waiting in front of the house with Sloane in the back. "Hurry up sleepy head!" She yelled from the window.

"I'd listen to her, man!" Jerry magnified from his window. "Sloane hates being late!" He let out a hefty laugh. I returned it and slid into the passenger seat.

"So how was your Sunday, Brewer?" Sloane asked. _Brewer?_ I shrugged and sat back.

We drove in comfortable silence. Well, Sloane and I did. Jerry ranted on and on about a girl who he hung out with. She had some weird name. Mina? Mima? No, Mika. What a strange name. Once we got to the school, Jerry immediately headed for Mika's locker, while Sloane and I walked side by side to the main staircase.

"So did you go around town a little more?" She asked as we sat down on the fist step.

"Yeah," I answered. "Went for a jog and ended up at the library. How come we didn't go there on Saturday?"

"Jerry has a thing about libraries. Some kind of 'phobia'." she let out a soft giggle. It was a beautiful sound. "Did you get any books?" I nodded and pulled out the book Kim gave me. "_Mein Kampf?_ Funny, you never hit me as a psychological kind of guy."

"Well, I'm full of surprises." I let out a laugh. "But to be honest, I have no idea what mein kampf means." Sloane smiled brightly as if she was waiting for me to ask.

"It means 'my struggle' in German. It's about Hitler's struggles of organizing everything and his life," she explained. It was clear that she'd read the book before and was waiting to share with someone. Her excitement and the face that Kim gave me the book made me determined to finish it. Before I could ask her more question, the bell rang silencing me. We said our goodbyes and headed our separate ways.

When Jerry offered me yet another ride home, I declined much to Sloane's disapproval. I apologized and walked the other direction. Since it was Monday, the small town wasn't so busy. Everyone was getting ready for the holidays coming in. I made my way through the town soaking it all in. Since Seaford was in southern California, it didn't really experience the different seasons. It was sunny and bright.

I ended up in front of the Seaford library again. When I walked in, I was greeted by the same lady from yesterday. Looking around, I realized Kim wasn't around, so I sat myself at the table she sat yesterday and pulled out the book.

_His unfailing instinct in such things scents the original soulin everyone, and his hostility is assured to anyone who is not spirit of his spirit._

I heard the bell in front of the door ring.

_They begin to tremble before the terrible enemy and thus have become his final victim._

Her steps got closer and closer.

_How close they see approaching victory can be seen by the hideous aspect which their relations with the members of other peoples takes on._

"I see you're reading the book," her voice was soothing. "You're pretty far in." She sat herself in front of me and pulled out her own book. I glanced up from the book to find her eyes looking at me. Brown on brown. I gave her a small smile to which she returned with the sides of her lips curling up. The sun shined through the window and illuminated her blonde hair till it was almost white. She looked... beautiful...

We looked at each other challenging not to look away; neither one of us dared to look away. And in that moment we didn't say anything, but we both knew that this wasn't going to be the last time we'd end up here again...

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_**A/N: Sorry for the short chapter, but I like how it ended and I didn't want to continue it anymore, so I hope you enjoyed! I'll try to get writing the next chapter as soon as possible!**_


	4. Chapter 4

Every Monday since that day, I started walking to the library to meet Kim. It started becoming the highlight of my week, and I knew that it was hers too. I would always end up getting there first, so I would wait at the small table in the corner with the book pulled out.

I finished _Mein Kampf_ within a month. I couldn't put it down. Once I finished, I ran down to the library even though it wasn't Monday. Kim was already waiting there reading her book. We spent hours discussing how Hitler was so organized but disturbed. Eventually, the conversation went into a new direction. We ended up talking about movies, music, and even our favorite kinds of drinks. Kim and I had so much in common, and I enjoyed talking to her. Joan had to politely tell us to leave when it was time to close up.

By the sixth week, I already knew her drink order by heart, so when I would walk down to the library, I would stop by the coffee shop first. A pumpkin spice latte on chillier days and an iced chai latte on warmer days. She knew mine too, so she'd end up buying mine while I bought hers. My relationship with Kim was much different from the one I had with Sloane and Jerry. Yeah, I enjoyed spending time with those two, I felt like I could open up more to Kim. She listened.

By our eight week, I started to realize a pattern. I would open up to her about everything, even my mom, but Kim refused to tell me anything.

"Kim," I spoke as I put my coffee and book down. Her eyes trailed up to meet mine as she did the same. "How come I don't know anything about you?" She let out a soft laugh. It was one of those that was music to my ears.

"You know what I like, Jack Brewer," she simply answered. She always called me Jack Brewer. Never just Jack._  
_

"I mean, I know that, but I open up to you about my family and my life, but I don't even know what you do after the library."

Kim let out a sigh and sat back with her eyes closed. She was contemplating whether to tell me or not.

"If I told you..." she began and slowly opened her eyes. They were filled with fear and looked vulnerable. "I don't think you'd ever come back to this table ever again. You probably wouldn't want to see me again." I reached out for her hand and held it in mine.

"Kim..." I soothed. "I like spending time with you, but I'd like to get to know you first." Kim closed her eyes again, and when she opened them they were filled with mischief.

"You're not saying this just to get in my pants, are you?" She joked. It was her way of showing she wasn't afraid. Sarcasm was a habit of hers. I let go of the thoughts and laughed with her. She was a mercurial little girl.

By our ninth week, I would walk her home after our library times. She lived right across from me. I would hold her books while we walked side to side, and we would make small talk.

"Batman versus Superman? Please, I would pick Batman any day," she debated.

"But he has no powers. Superman has multiple," I retaliated.

"But Bruce Banner is insanely rich, while Clark Kent isn't." She had a point. We both laughed. I loved debating with Kim. She was extremely bright.

"Thanks," she said as we walked up the front steps of her house.

"For what?"

"Talking to me. Staying by me."

I couldn't help but give her a goofy smile to which she laughed to. "Do you want to go see a movie with me on Saturday?" I blurted. Kim was taken aback, but her face slowly softened.

"Are you asking me on a date, Jack Brewer? Why so sudden?"

"It's just that, we've been hanging out on the same day and at the same place every week, and I thought we might mix things up." I must have flushed deeply, for Kim let out a soft chuckle.

"Ok. Movie it is. You can pick me up around six," she arranged and stepped into her house.

I was going on a date with Kim Crawford. This girl I barely knew, and the one everyone avoided. What was I thinking? But yet, I couldn't help but feel... attracted to her... Something about her made me want to see her more. What was it? What was Kim Crawford doing to me?

* * *

_**A/N: Hey reader. I know this is a really really really short chapter, but I decided that I wanted to just develop the relationship between Kim and Jack which you can obviously see her, so please please please don't hate one me for such a short chapter. Thanks!**_


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